Letter opener



y 19, 1932- A. J. KEISER 1,867,973

LETTER OPENER I Filed Dec. 5, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR fifffiw d f edser 7%.} ATTORNEY A. J. KEISER LETTER OPENER July 19, 1932.

Filed Dec. 5, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 19, 1932- A. J. KEISER 7 1,867,973

LETTER OPENER Filed Dec. 5, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR fl/ i/Luw T/ v aw.

Z ATTORNEY Patented July 19, 1932 I I UNITED STATES PATENT orrrca ARTHUR J. IKEISER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, AS SIGNOR T BIRCHER COMPANY, IN 'cg 7 OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, CORPORATION OF NEW YORK LETTER OPENER Application filed December 5, 1930. Serial No. 500,323.

The present invention relates to letter ly'and forwardly from the wall 2 at the for openers and an object thereof is to provide an ward edge of the latter is an integral knife 1 inexpensive construction in which the enveor cutter hood 5. lopes are fed along and against a guide to Supported by the frame is a cutting mech 5 permit a cutting mechanism to operate on one anism, embodying, in this instance, two disk 5 edge thereof as the envelope travels along the cutters 6 and 7. The cutter 6 lies within the guide. Another object of the invention is hood 5 and is secured to a shaft 8 which turns to provide a novel means of adjusting the in the vertical wall ofthe hood, a spring guide with reference to the cutting mechapressed plunger 9 acting against one end of 10 nism to vary the width of the material cut the shaft 8 topress the periphery of the disk 60 from the envelopes. A further object of the 6 against the periphery of the disk 7; An ininvention is to provide a novel means of suptegral post or projection on the rear side of f porting a yielding presser foot or member the hood 5 may serve as part of the hearing which bears on the upper faces of the envefor the shaft 8. The lower cutter '7 is rigidly lopes as they are moved along the guide. secured to a shaft 10 which is journall'ed in a 5 To these and other ends, the invention condepending bracket 11 integral with and arsists of certain parts and combinations of ranged on the underside of the top wall 2. parts, all of which will be hereinafter de- This shaft is held against axial movement and scribed: the novel features being pointed out may be turned in any suitable manner as by in the appended claims. a crank member 12 having its crank portion 7 In the drawings: on the outer side of the base casing and ex Fig. 1 is a plan view of a machine embodytending through the front wall of the casing,

the present invention; connecting with the front end of the shaft 10 Fig. 2 is a front elevation; by screw threads 13.

Fig. 8 is atransverse vertical section on the With the end in view of guiding the en 75- line 83, Fig. 1 through the axes of the cutvelopes to the cutters, a guiding means is proters; vided which, in this instance, embodies a table Fig. 1 is a section on the line M, Fig. 3, or supporting plate 14 lying over and closing with the envelope supporting plate removed; the opening in the forward portion of the Fig. 5 is a view of the inner face of the top wall and having its rear edge provided so knife hood closure showing the presser foot with a guide in the form of an integral flange supported thereon; 15 on the plate 14 against which the en Fig. 6 is a plan view of the envelope supvelopes are moved toward the cutting mechaporting plate; nism. The forward end of this flangeis cut 85 Fig. 7 is an edge view thereof; away at 16 to receive the upper cutter 6 and 85 Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the pintle the table is recessed or notched at flat the for adjusting the envelope supporting plate cutaway portion 16 to receive the lower'cuton the frame; ter 7. Projecting into the notch formed ad-.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the jacent the meeting edges of the two cutters 40 right end of the base and table as'shown in is a grooved tongue or lip 18 which is bent .90

Fi 1; d 1 slightly toward the front of the machine in Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of order to place pressure on the edges of the the left end of the base and'table as shown envelopes to bulge the same as they approach in Fig 1. the cutting mechanism.

In the illustrated embodiment of the in- With the end in view of positioning this vention, the frame 1 embodies a hollow base discharging tongue of the guide so as to out casing having the rear portion of its top the desired amount from the envelopes, the closed by a horizontal wall 2 and the front table flange and tongue are adjustable in a portion open except for two inwardly projecthorizontal plane which is perpendicular to 0 ing corner lugs 3 and 4. Projecting upwardthe planes of operation of the cutters about an axis situated beyond the cutting point and also to one side of the cutting plane and this axis is for the purpose of still further varying the cutting action adjustable in a circular path. To this end a pintle support 19 is rotatable about a vertical axis in the lug & of the base frame and carries a removable headed pintle 20 in the form of a screw which passes through the plate 14 to permit the latter to swing. It is apparent that the turning of the pintle support 19 shifts the pintle in a rotary path as the pintle is carried ec-' centrically by the support. This will shift the lip 18 substantially in acircular-path so that said-lip may be properly positioned with reference to the cutters. At the same time the lip may be shifted laterally by swinging the plate or table 1% on the pintle'. The plate or table with the guide and'the lip is held in adjusted position by a nut-.21 which operates one threaded stem22 projecting upwardly from the h1g3 through an enlarged opening 23 in the table or plate. 7

This adj ustment'is designed for proper setting of the table 14 at the factory when as sembling the parts and provides means whereby to compensate for variations in the parts without necessitating close adjustments and machine work on other parts. The pintle travel in a plane at a slight angle to the guide and in this way to shift the envelopes towardsupport19 is preferably threaded into the lug 4 and is rotatable in any convenient manner, as by means ofan angle boss 19 formed therewith towhichf a wrenchor other tool may be fitted. A binding screw 1 threaded into a side of the base 1 engagesthe part 19 and se cures it in the desired adjusted position. v

Feeding of the envelopes over the table, along the guide and past the cutting mechanism may be effected by a feeding mechanism comprising, in this instance, an endless belt 24'- whichis mounted in the base casing and has-the uppermost tip operatingthrough a slot in thjeplate or table 14 infront of the cut-ting mechanism. This belt is of circular cross section and is formed as is common to turn as it advances in order to shift the ad vancing envelopes toward the guide. In this instance, this belt is supported by two pulleys 25 and 26, the former being mounted on theshaft 10 of the lower cutter and the latter being mounted on a shaft 27 whose axis is obliquely arranged with reference to the shaft 10 some]: there is a tendency for the belt to the guide duringtheir travel along the guide.

Arranged to 'cooperatewith the upper surfaces of envelopes moving along the guide isayieldingly. mounted presser member 28. This member, in this instance, is in the form of a foot or shoe grooved longitudinally to confo'rinto the, belt. In order that this shoe will yield, readily toenvelopes of. different.

thicknesses it is not only capable of moving away from the belt but is also adapted to move in the direction of travel of the belt. This result is accomplished, in this instance, by guiding the foot for travel upwardly and in the direction of travel of the belt. This guiding means, in this instance, comprises a rigid arm 29 projecting upwardly and toward the discharge of the machine and-guided in the same direction on the innerface of a plate; 30 which. closes the open front portion of the upper cutter hood '5 and is detachably held in position on said hood by screwsSl. The arm 29 has a longitudinally extending slot 32 which receives two headed guide bolts 83,- theupp'er one of which acts as an abutment for an adjustable stop 34 carriedby the inner face the upper portion of the arm 29. A spring 35' acts between the cover plate 30'and the arm 29*to hold the shoe or foot 28 with yieldingpres sure toward the feeding belt. The forward end of the plate 30 may be deflected laterally toward the front ofthe machine toact-asa shield or guard to prevent the envelopes beingpassed by hand above the presser foot. From the foregoing 1t Wlll be seen that there has been provided a simple and ineX-- pensive envelope machine of the'type having a cutting mechanism towhich envelopes are fed one at a time along a guide. The guide is so mounted that it may be easily and'ef fectively adjusted to cut from the envelopes strips of any desired width. A presser memher is so mounted that it ofiers a minimum resistance to the travel of the envelopes while giving the desired pressure thereon. The mounting for the presser member is hidden from View by being supported on the inner face of the closure for a hood in which the upper cutter isenclose'd.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for opening envelopes,the

combination of a hollow base open at" the top, upper and lower disk cutters, a table closing the top, of the base and provided with an envelope guide and formed atone end with an opening a pintle depending from the opposite end of the table, an element rotatably mounted uponan end of'the base and having the said pintle in eccentric engagement therewith, a threaded stem projecting from the opposite end of the base through the opening of the table, a ,nut on the stem for securing the table in adjusted position, and a feeding mechanism housed in the base and operating through an opening formed in the table for advancing the envelopes to the cutting mechanism. i

2. In a machine for opening envelopes, the

combination of a hollow base" open at the top, upper and lower disk cutters, a table closing the top of the base and having an upstanding flange along its rear edge form ing an envelopeguide, a portion of the table and flange being cut away to provide c1earance for the cutters, said flange havin a tongue projecting inwardly therefrom a acent the cut away portion of the table to overhang and exert a pressure on the envelopes and effect a bulging thereof as they approach the cutters, and means for feeding the envelopes over the table.

8. In an envelope opening machine and in combination with the cutting mechanism and means for advancing the envelopes to the cutting mechanism, a presser foot movable away from and in the direction of feed of the en velopes, an arm projecting from the presser foot and formed with an oblique slot, supporting means for said arm, means on the supporting means engaged with the slot of said arm to retain the presser foot in place and direct it in its movements, and a spring yieldably holding the presser foot in contact with the envelopes.

4;. An envelope opening machine, comprising a hollow base having the front portion of the top open, a table closing the open portion of the top and adjustably held to the base and provided with an envelope guide, upper and lower disk cutters, a hood receiving the upper cutter and open at the front, a plate closing the front of the hood, a presser foot having an arm in contact with the inner face of the plate and provided with an oblique slot, fastening elements passing through the oblique slot and engaging the plate to retain the presser foot in place and direct it in its reciprocating movements, a spring housed within the hood and coacting with the presser foot, and means for advancing the envelopes to the cutters and beneath the presser foot.

5. In an envelope opening machine, the combination with a base, cutting mechanism, and a plate provided with guide means for the envelopes, of means provided for adjusting the plate to position the envelopes with reference to the cutting mechanism, the same consisting of a pintle depending from the plate, a support rotatably mounted on the base and having the said pintle in eccentric engagement therewith, and means on the base for securing the said support in required adjusted position.

ARTHUR J. KEISER. 

